Diabetes sugar symptoms and signs

Blood fence for measuring sugar with diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is an insidious disease in which an increased blood glucose content is observed.When digesting food, carbohydrates and proteins decompose to simple sugar and amino acids.The liver converts all sugar and some of the amino acids into glucose, which is used as a source of energy with each body of the body.Glucose enters the blood into the cells with insulin, hormone produced by the pancreas (a pear -shaped organ located under the stomach).Attaching to the receptors on the surface of the cell membrane, insulin promotes the advance of the proteins that transport glucose from the depth of the cell to its surface, where they are connected to glucose and carry it to the cell.With diabetes mellitus, this process occurs several interference: the production of insulin with a pancreas can be partially or completely disturbed or the body of the body can be incapable of effectively respond to the normal amount of insulin.

Diabetes mellitus is a heterogeneous disease and is found in two forms: diabetes of the first type or “insulin -dependent” and diabetes of the second type or “insulin -dependent”. In the first type of diabetes, also known as youthful diabetes, the pancreas produces a small amount of insulin or does not produce it at all.

This type of diabetes develops suddenly and is most often found in people under the age of 30;The average age of its beginning of its development is between 12 and 14 years.However, diabetes of the first type is only about 5 percent of all cases of diabetes.The second type of diabetes, also known as adult diabetes, are much more common.In this type of diabetes, the production of insulin pancreatic is only slightly reduced, but the cells are not able to effectively respond to insulin, so this disease is considered as insulin resistance.The diabetes of the second type usually begins in degree and affects people over the age of 40 years and especially full people, one of the risk factors is age older than 50 years.Occasionally in adults, diabetes of the first type can be observed.

The main causes of the development of diabetes are: hereditary predisposition, pancreatic disease, overeating (read - overload the same pancreas, liver and gastrointestinal tract), excessive use of simple carbohydrates (sugar, sweets, jam, cakes, chocolate and more), animal fats, alcohol.In some cases, diabetes mellitus can occur due to mental trauma, poisoning or intoxication (including drugs).

With both types of diabetes, hyperglycemia leads to the release of glucose into urine, which is accompanied by an increase in urine production.If a patient with diabetes of the first type is prescribed the wrong amount of insulin, the excessive ejection of fatty acids from adipose tissue will lead to the overproduction of ketone bodies in the liver.The accumulation of ketone bodies can cause a life -threatening condition known as diabetic ketoacitosis.Diabetic ketoacitosis can sometimes be found in patients with diabetes of the second type during periods when the body experiences a strong tension, for example, during a severe infectious disease.

People with diabetes of the second type are susceptible to another life -threatening disease, known as a hyperosmotic non -melting state, characterized by extremely high blood sugar levels.This disease is usually found in older people with any other serious disease.An attack of diabetic ketoacitosis or a hyperosmotic state may be the first sign of diabetes.

People with diabetes can also suffer from low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) if they administer too much insulin during treatment.

After 10-20 years of diabetes, patients may have complications, for example, visual impairment, kidney damage and degeneration of the peripheral nervous system (neuropathy).Strict control over the content of glucose in the blood can detain or prevent the appearance of these complications.The loss of touch in the legs can lead to the fact that the damage will be left without attention, and infection will occur.

Symptoms

What signs can say that you have diabetes, or indicate that there is a danger of its occurrence?

  • Excessive and frequent urination (about every hour).Awakening at night to urinate.The body, in order to get rid of excess sugar, emits it through the kidneys in the urine.
  • Strong thirst or increased need to drink a lot of liquids.It is caused by the fact that the level of glucose increases in the blood, which “takes away” fluid from tissues, the tissue is dehydrated.Therefore, patients are forced to drink a lot: 2-3-5 liters per day or more.
  • Itching of the skin and genitals.
  • Dry mouth.
  • Poor healing of wounds.
  • At first, a large weight, subsequently reducing it due to a violation of food absorption, especially carbohydrates.
  • Reducing immunity - frequent infections from banal flu and colds to pneumonia.
  • Sometimes the disease is preceded by “strange” conditions: as a result of short -term forced starvation or after intensive physical activity, headache, pale, praise sweat, and general weakness may occur.As soon as a person ate, he drank at least a cup of sweet tea, all the symptoms quickly pass.Indirectly, this may indicate a malfunction of the pancreas: insulin entered the blood more than usual, and the sugar level decreased below the permissible level-3-3.5 units.
  • Increased appetite.
  • Uncontained weight loss.
  • Poor eyesight.
  • Fatigue and weakness.
  • Frequent or constant infections of the bladder, skin or gums.
  • Numbness and tingling in the legs and hands.
  • Signs of hypoglycemia.
  • Strong symptoms of a hyperosmotic non -monetary state: Extraordinary thirst, lethargy, weakness, confusion of consciousness, coma.
  • Strong symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis: nausea and vomiting, shortness of breath, confusion, coma.

The described symptoms are observed in 40-90% of patients with diabetes long before the diagnosis is made.But there are also “non -human” symptoms, the occurrence of which leads to an increased blood sugar:

The skin gradually becomes dry, wrinkled, palms and soles rude, peel, nails thicken, dry and brittle hair, on the extremities is growing and disappear completely, on the skin, due to a decrease in general immunity, pustular rashes, boils, carbunels, recidivates, appear on the need to test blood sugar in the patient.Often, the skin is affected by fungi, eczema, lichen.

  1. The appearance and progression of vascular disorders - the development of atherosclerosis, hypertension, angina pectoris, the memory decreases (the vessels of the brain suffer);
  2. Diabetic changes in the bloody bottom vessels (retinopathy), reduction of vision;
  3. Reduction of kidney function (nephropathy, pyelonephritis);
  4. Diabetic foot (“legs in the cold burn and crush in warm” - a violation of the blood supply to the lower extremities);
  5. Sometimes the character (mental disorders) changes;
  6. One of the signs of diabetes is the lesion of the gums - periodontitis, bleeding, gums blue, and the teeth begin to shuffle up, sometimes leaving their legal places painlessly.
  7. Diabetes mellitus affects the glands of internal secretion.Men lose interest in women, they are reduced not only by libido, but also to potency.In women, the menstrual cycle is “lost”, it happens that menstruation disappears completely.

That is why diabetes mellitus is called an endocrine-exchange disease with pancreatic lesion, characterized by a rise in blood sugar and a violation of all types of metabolism in the body.

In diabetes mellitus, antiabet, hidden diabetes mellitus and diabetes itself (explicit) are distinguished.The latter is manifested in light, moderate and severe severity.

With pre -antiabet, hidden diabetes and mild diabetes, nutrition is the only therapeutic factor.And with medium and severe forms - a necessary condition for successful treatment and maintaining an acceptable quality of life.

In addition, people with diabetes are more susceptible to narrowing of the coronary arteries and narrowing of blood vessels that supply the brain and legs.The combination of infectious diseases of the legs and reducing the supply of blood can lead to gangrene (death of tissue), which requires amputation.

Treatment of diabetes of the first type requires one to four daily insulin injections.(Insulin cannot be taken orally, since digestive juices destroy it.) In addition, it is necessary to observe a diet and do exercises so that blood glucose levels are not too high or too low.For diabetes of the second type, a combination of diet, exercises and weight loss can be used, although medicines (including insulin) are also usually necessary.Treatment largely depends on self -control.Although there is no means to cure diabetes, almost all patients are able to control the symptoms and lead a full life.

  • The first type diabetes is an autoimmune disease that occurs as a result of an erroneous attack of the immune system on the pancreatic cells that produce insulin.
  • With diabetes of the second tin, genetic factors are important.
  • Excessive completeness makes people predisposed to the development of diabetes of the second type.
  • Some drugs, such as corticosteroids or diuretic thiazides, can increase the risk of developing diabetes of the second type.
  • Other diseases, such as hemochromatosis, chronic pancreatitis, Kushing or acromegaly syndrome, can lead to diabetes.Surgical removal of the pancreas can also provoke diabetes.
  • Pregnant women may develop diabetes, which usually disappears after childbirth.These women are at risk of developing diabetes of the second type in the future.
  • Contrary to existing opinion, the use of a large amount of sweet does not contribute to the development of diabetes.

The general principles of nutrition in diabetes are reduced to simple rules.

The calorie content of the diet should be reduced to 2000-2200 kcal by reducing the consumption of simple carbohydrates: sugar, cakes, ice cream, chocolate, sweets, jam, pasta, rice, honey and similar products.Black bread, legumes, vegetables, fruits are complex carbohydrates (except for bananas, grapes, watermelon), and their consumption is permissible within normal limits.The seafood is useful due to the well-acquired high-quality protein and minerals contained in them, in particular zinc-the necessary component for the production of insulin.Beans in the content of zinc, so necessary for patients with diabetes, and copper is a champion among vegetables.The use of beans reduces thirst, and in the presence of concomitant atherosclerosis with a violation of the heart rhythm - restores the normal rhythm!

It is recommended to eat 3-4 times a day.Between meals, drink water.It should be limited by the daily intake of sodium salt up to 10 g, animals and vegetable fats - to 50 g, as well as reduce the consumption of dairy products with a high fat content (cheeses, ice cream, cream, sour cream), meat, sausages, smoked spots, chocolate, cakes, halva, caviar, brain, giblets and skin of poultry.

Prevention

  • To prevent the development of diabetes of the second type, you must lose weight if your weight exceeds the norm by more than 20 percent, and maintain normal weight.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • There is no well -known way to prevent diabetes of the first type.
  • People with any type of diabetes should regularly undergo eye examination for early detection and treatment of diabetes of visual impairment.

Diagnostics

  • The medical history and physical examination can give a basis for the assumption of the presence of the disease.
  • The diagnosis can be made if a blood test on an empty stomach shows high glucose levels (126 mg/dl or higher) at least twice.
  • When the results of the tests are ambiguous, a sample on glucose tolerance can be made.The patient drinks a drink containing 75 g of glucose, and then the blood glucose content is measured every 30 minutes for two hours.
  • Urine analysis can be taken to determine the protein content.
  • Measure the blood glycogemoglobin;It shows the average content of glucose in the blood over the past two to three months.

For diabetes of the first type:

  • Daily injections of insulin are needed.It takes from one to four daily injections to control the level of glucose in the blood.There are long -action drugs and quick action, and they are often prescribed in a combination.
  • A strict diet and a meal schedule are necessary to maintain the desired level of glucose in the blood.Your doctor can recommend food with low fat, salt and cholesterol and may advise you to visit a nutritionist for food planning.
  • Since both physical exercises and insulin reduce glucose levels, exercises and the introduction of insulin should be so designed so that their effect is not applied and does not cause a dangerous decrease in blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
  • A strict schedule of injection, eating and performing exercises are necessary for proper control of the disease.

For diabetes of the second type:

  • The use of low -fat and low -calorie foods in combination with the correct performance of exercises is necessary to control weight.
  • The drugs taken as orally can be spelled out to increase the production of insulin pancreas, if the exercises and diet do not suffer enough blood glucose.
  • Other oral drugs can reduce insulin resistance or slow down the absorption of sugar from the intestines.
  • Insulin injections can be necessary for strong attacks of the second type of diabetes or if a patient with diabetes of the second type has any other disease.

For both types of diabetes:

  • Blood tests are needed to measure the levels of glucose, from one to four times a day (depending on the recommendation of the doctor).Your doctor will advise you which device can be used at home to measure blood sugar.
  • Particular attention should be paid to the development of atherosclerosis, since it is often combined with diabetes.Patients with diabetes should not smoke, should eat low fat, cholesterol and salt and take medications for high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
  • People with diabetes should drink a large amount of water when they get sick with another disease, for example, flu, to fill the lost fluid and prevent diabetic coma.During illness, people with diabetes of the first type should check the urine for keton bodies every four to six hours.
  • People with diabetes should take care of their feet and check them every day.Damage to nerves in diabetes reduces the sensitivity of the legs, and small damage can lead to the development of serious infectious diseases.
  • Laser photocoagulation to prevent ruptures of tiny blood vessels in the eye can help prevent or cure diabetic retinopathy.Most patients with diabetes need to check the eyes with an ophthalmologist at least once a year to detect the very first manifestations of retinopathy.
  • Dialysis, the process of artificial blood filtering, may be necessary for renal failure.In serious cases, a kidney transplant may be required,
  • Clear control of the level of glucose in the blood retains or prevents subsequent complications that affect the eyes, kidneys and nervous system.
  • The kidney damage can be slowed when controlling blood pressure.

When you need a doctor

  • Contact the doctor if you notice a sudden or gradual increase in a sense of hunger, thirst or you increase the amount of urine produced.
  • Contact the doctor if you are sick with diabetes and at the same time fell ill with a runny nose or flu, which has taken blood sugar levels out of control.Do not use the medicine sold without a prescription without consulting a doctor.
  • Attention!Call an ambulance if a patient with diabetes loses consciousness.Tell the doctor that a person is sick with diabetes.
  • Attention!(In the second type of diabetes.) Immediately, call the ambulance if you have symptoms of a hyperosmotic non -brown state;They include severe thirst, lethargy, weakness and confusion.
  • Attention!(In the first type of diabetes.) Immediately, call the ambulance if you have symptoms of diabetic ketoacitosis;They include dry mouth, dry and red skin, sweet or with a fruit aroma of smell from the mouth, difficulty in breathing, vomiting and abdominal pain in combination with excessive urination and severe thirst (or without).
  • Attention!(With the first type of diabetes.) Take a doctor immediately if the presence of ketone bodies and measures prescribed by your doctor are found in the urine, do not help to cope with the problem.